1. Subscription

1.1 Each team (with the exception of the University Students) participating will pay £25 to the Treasurer before the start of the season. This payment will provide for trophies for league winners, the administration expenses for tournaments, a honorarium to the Secretary and other expenses as the Committee sees fit.

2. League structure and scoring

2.1 The league shall normally be comprised of divisions with 10 teams. Teams finishing in the top two places will be promoted and those in the bottom two relegated. In exceptional circumstances the Committee may choose to promote a team by more than one division. Teams which routinely fail to comply with League Rules or who clearly do not have sufficient playing strength for their current division may be relegated one or more divisions at the Committee’s discretion.

2.2 One point will be awarded for each game won and five points for the winning team (ie. a maximum of 20 points).

2.3 In the event of teams finishing on level points then the team who has won most matches will be deemed to have finished above the other(s). If there is still a tie, then the total points score in matches between the teams will be considered.

3. Rules of play

3.1 Teams shall consist of 4 players in division 1 and 5 players in all other divisions with all players being members of the affiliated club. Payment of players to participate in the League is not permitted. Matches are to be run in reverse order without prior arrangement.

3.2 Players may not represent more than one member Club in a single season unless in exceptional circumstances and with the permission of the Committee.

3.3 The home club will: provide the match balls; be responsible for marking each match; and provide refreshments (for which the away club will be expected to stay).

3.4 All matches are expected to start on time. The guidelines are as follows – three players from each team must arrive within 10 minutes of the official start time of the match and the other two players within 30 minutes of the start time. Players who do not fulfil this requirement, unless the captains have agreed prior arrangements, will forfeit ties. If a player fails to turn up within 30 minutes of the start time that players tie, and any below them, will be conceded. Teams continually starting late will be penalised at the Committee’s discretion.

3.5 In Division 1, matches will be best of 5 with point-a-rally (PAR) to 11. In other divisions it will be to 11 or 15 with a two point clear tiebreak in each game.

4. Nominations and playing order

4.1 Only nominated players may play in the League. Clubs must provide the Secretary with a nominated order for each team before the end of August. Players should be nominated and play in strict merit order within clubs and teams (ie. no. 5 in the 1st team should be superior to no. 1 in the 2nd team). The orders may be published on the league web site.

4.2 A player in a lower team may play in a higher team as a reserve on five occasions. On the sixth occasion they are tied to the lowest position they have played at. If they subsequently play up again they then become tied to that team and so on. For example, if a player from the 4th team plays up the 3rd team five times and the 2nd team once, they become tied to the 3rd team. If they then play up for any other team they become tied to that team. When tied, the player is assumed to be nominated in the lowest position in that team.

4.3 Clubs may re-nominate (ie. change the order of) their teams before the first fixture of the New Year. Where the Secretary does not receive nominations then the original nominations will stand. Players re-nominated in a lower team in the New Year are deemed to have reserved on 5 occasions and another appearance for a higher team will mean that they are tied.

4.4 Clubs may nominate new players throughout the season by informing the Secretary in advance. The normal rules on playing position will then apply.

4.5 A nominated player must play in the first half of the season to be eligible for the second half or request permission to play from the Secretary.

4.6 In Division 1, no player may play in the final third of the season without playing the equivalent to one third of Divison 1 total team matches in the season number (not restricted to Div 1).
i.e 18 matches in Div 1, player must have played 6 matches in the Y&DSL to be eligible to play in the last 6 matches of the season.
12 matches in Div 1, players must have played 4 matches in the Y&DSL to be eligible to play in the last 4 matches of the season.

4.7 Clubs with two or more teams playing on the same day must play in nominated order without gaining prior agreement from the Secretary.

4.8 In the event of any violation of the above, the Committee reserves the right to amend the match result

4.9 If you have any doubts referring to the eligibility of the players, then advice should be sought from the Secretary.

5. Fixtures and postponed matches

5.1 Draft fixtures will be generated by the Committee and made available for consultation prior to the season starting. These can be amended in consultation with the Committee but become frozen from a set date ahead of the season no less than one week.

5.2 Matches may be re-arranged after the deadline in 5.1 only in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the Secretary. Injury or unavailability of players are not acceptable reasons for a match to be rearranged. However, if both clubs agree to a rearrangement, then this may be allowed by the Secretary.

5.3 If any team fails to honour a fixture they receive zero points for that match and have 10 points (2 per player) deducted from their total league points score. Their opponents will receive maximum points. At least three players are required to fulfil a fixture and must play in nomination order. Cancelling a fixture within 48 hours or failing to fulfil a fixture with the minimum number of players will incur a club fine at the rate of 2 times the team entry fee to the league.

5.4 Division 1 matches shall not be arranged for a Saturday.

6. Results

6.1 It is the responsibility of the home team to post their results on Leaguemaster within 72 hours of the match being played (though teams should aim to do this as soon as possible). Five points will be deducted from the home team’s total league points for failing to comply with this time limit.

7. Conduct

7.1 All players must comply with the Governing Body Code of Conduct. Failure to comply (for example using foul or abusive language towards referees or opponents) will be treated seriously by the Committee and will lead to disciplinary action by way of suspension.

8. Queries and disputes

8.1 Any query or dispute concerning a match should be submitted to the Secretary within 14 days of the event. After taking full account of the relevant facts, the Secretary is empowered to make decisions on any queries received. However, repeated failures to comply with the League Rules or issues around conduct will be considered by the full Committee.

Updated: September 2022